Malaysian again appeals decision on her status

DUBLIN, Ireland — Azlina Jailani, who adopted the name Lina Joy when she became a Christian in 1998, has appealed a second time for the right to change her religious status. Lina Joy first applied for official permission to change her religion in 2001. However, the judge ruled, “As a Malay, the plaintiff exists under the tenets of Islam until her death.”

She appealed the decision Oct. 14 on the grounds that it contravened Malaysia’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.